Pensioners Getting Fired Up over Levy

Pensioners Getting Fired Up over Levy

Article excerpt

Emily Prain

emily.prain@news-mail.com.au

A SOUTH Kolan pensioner says he will not pay the newly introduced fire levy attached to his latest rates notice, blaming a lack of information from both the council and State Government for his defiant decision.

Bob Ambrose said his latest bill showed he would have to pay an additional $90 towards the State Government's new levy a year.

The Emergency Management, Fire and Rescue Levy was introduced in July to replace the existing State Fire Levy already paid by urban ratepayers.

But the levy now applies to all properties in Queensland, and it is the first time rural property owners, such as Mr Ambrose, have had to pay it.

"Stuff them -- I'm not going to do it," he said.

"I think they are screwing us into the ground head-first like we are cash cows."

Mr Ambrose said if perhaps the levy, introduced as a direct result of the recent disasters across the state, was only going to be implemented for a few years, then he would accept it and pay up. …